30 years ago, when we founded the company Getrix, we wanted to practice our profession, with confidence in what we knew and free from the constraints of a system with which we were not in resonance. We do everything in our power to create a more beautiful environment that generates existential joy for our fellow human beings. We want to "build history" rigorously, in a unique and authentic way, to achieve excellence following a process that brings refinement and joy to our peers and to us. It is certainly not talent that achieves performance, but commitment, discipline, resilience and perseverance. "Strength of character" I hope expresses us best and is what we want to convey to our road partners. Let's be consistent and vertical, always willing to learn and give the best in us. We make quality architecture, for a better world!
Project description in English
Calea București, the main thoroughfare of the city of Craiova, bears the image of the communist period. Vast and rich historical fabric lies beyond this formal curtain and it is not uncommon for solitary heritage buildings to be hidden between blocks.
The front of this street is displayed most visibly in the central area next to the National Theatre. Here, among the low-rise collective housing of the 50s, the high-rise commercial buildings of the 80s, and the opportunistic architecture of the 90s, only one building reminds us of the century we live in.
The Cardinal Tower appeared in this urban skyline due to real estate pressure, which is visible in its most harmful forms in many parts of the city. In this case, however, the construction of a seven-story office building came with the obligation to restore an abandoned architectural monument and with the opportunity to introduce an element of novelty, much needed in the collective urban image.
The contemporary finish of the facades has this purpose, while their variations in materiality dialogue with the building's close context. In the case of the facade that is part of Calea București, the windows’ composition resembles the design of the facades of the blocks of the 80s. The northern side of the tower is completely glazed and, viewed from Vasile Conta street, it reflects the rationalist architecture of the university building in front of it, while, viewed from the courtyard of the Church of Saint Spiridon, it merges with the sky.
The Cernătescu-Cârlogani House, whose plot houses the new office building, was restored with consideration for its historical character and adapted for its functional reactivation. The two constructions, belonging to different times, communicate internally through a glass body, which allows them to share the same function.
From a distance, the Cardinal Tower is an easily recognizable object in the central landscape of Craiova. Up close, the same tower is connected, both literally and figuratively, to the beautiful Cernătescu-Cârlogani house. Here are the two sides of the Cardinal Tower - one facing the historical past of Craiova - and one facing the future.
